Trip to Kyoto
by unidentifiedstarvingauthor
Summary: Daisuke and Satoshi get to know each other on a school trip to Kyoto. Shonen ai
1. Morning Routine

"Daisuke?" Satoshi hovered over his lover and prodded him in the side with his finger. "Daisuke!" Daisuke did not budge. He shouldn't have stayed up so late. In his mind, however, it was worth it. He had never had such a good make out experience in his whole life. Lucky he and Satoshi were paired in the same room on their school trip to Kyoto. Since their homeroom teacher was a girl, she was not authorized to enter their room during the night to check on them, so they had the entire room to themselves. It was bliss. Daisuke enjoyed this alone time with Satoshi, but right now Satoshi couldn't even get him awake.

Satoshi took out a bullhorn. "DAISUKE KAKUYA NIWA!" Daisuke shook a little, and then rose to a sitting position in his bed. "Finally," said Satoshi as he grabbed Daisuke's shoulder and pulled him out of bed.

Daisuke stood confused and exhausted in the middle of the floor as Satoshi rummaged through Daisuke's suitcase looking for a pair of clean shorts and a clean tee shirt. As he collected these things, he tossed them to Daisuke who didn't really grab them but rather caught them on his not yet awake head.

"There's a good boy, Daisuke. Now go into the bathroom, and get ready." Satoshi sat down on the bed and turned on the television with the remote control. Daisuke gave him one last befuddled glance and turned towards the bathroom.

When he got inside, he finally realized where he was. He saw the low ceilings and the industrial wallpaper common in 1970's hotels. He remembered that he and about 40 other classmates were on a school trip to Kyoto and he was the lucky one whom got to room with Satoshi. He opened up the drawer he had stocked the night before and took out his bottle of hair gel. If you've ever seen Daisuke's hair, you can only imagine how long it must take. After about an hour or so in the bathroom, Daisuke finally walked out fully dressed and hair groomed.

"Thank heavens you're out of there. I was about to call a search team to unlock the door and save you." Satoshi said this, but his eyes did not leave the television. Daisuke did not like the way Satoshi was rambling. He had woken up probably hours before Daisuke, and how was he supposed to know that Satoshi didn't take longer himself? Regardless of this minor flaw in attitude, Daisuke really did love Satoshi and all of his many faults. He loved his height, as low as it may be. He loved the messy silver hair. Even his otherwise geeky glasses set off his oversized face just nicely. He was perfect in Daisuke's eyes.

"I'm ready to go if you are." Daisuke pulled on his green sweater and took a step towards Satoshi.

Satoshi picked up the remote slowly, probably to tease Daisuke, and clicked off the television. "I'VE been ready," he said, and he too pulled on his sweater. His was white with red and yellow argyle print. The two walked out the door and into the hallway.

They entered the elevator, and Satoshi pushed the "g" button for garage level. On the way down he said "I hope they haven't run out of breakfast. Sometimes, I think you sleep in just to make me mad."

How did he know this, thought Daisuke. This, after all, was the first time he and Satoshi had ever slept in the same room. Daisuke remembered how much he loved Satoshi's flaws and kept his mouth shut. When the elevator finally reached the ground, Satoshi and Daisuke exited the elevator. Much to the dismay of Satoshi, no other students boarded as they got off. "Great," he said. "Everybody's probably already left."

He was right, of course. Not only was all the breakfast gone, but all of the students and staff had left, too. "We must hurry," stated Satoshi, and he grabbed Daisuke's hand.

The couple rushed hurriedly out the door. So fast, in fact, that Daisuke tripped over the rug. Despite the fact that Daisuke was now on the floor, Satoshi kept running faster and faster. "Hey! Wait up!" Daisuke quickly got to his feet and chased after Satoshi. By the time, he finally caught up, the two could see the group in front of them. When they were back with the group, they followed suit and came to a stop.

"Well, at least you didn't make me too late." Satoshi gave Daisuke a forced serious look, but he winked after few seconds. "When are you going to learn to keep up with schedule?" He placed his arm around Daisuke's shoulder. Daisuke leaned into Satoshi's shoulder and felt the romantic warmth he had been longing for since last night. They continued onward to the bus stop in this position, and didn't notice a single stare or remark.

They waited with the group for the bus which was almost fifteen minutes late already.

"You know, Satoshi. If I had to wait for a bus with any cranky, impatient jerk, I'm glad it was you." Daisuke buried his head deeper into Satoshi's shoulder as a sign of affectionate romance. Satoshi relaxed his shoulders a bit and breathed deeply.

The bus arrived about ten more minutes later, and Daisuke and Satoshi were the first ones on to insure that got the back seat to themselves (as you see, Japanese busses have only one row). Daisuke sat in the window seat first followed by Satoshi who took the seat nearest the aisle. Daisuke stretched out his legs and asked Satoshi where they were headed.

"Today," Satoshi informed, "we are going to an ancient temple where priests used to entertain visitors in order to make Buddha happy."

"Oh, I see." Daisuke leaned back. Then, he pulled his legs into an Indian style position. He simply could not get comfortable. Then, he had an idea, "Satoshi," he said. ,"do you mind if I lay my head in your lap?"

Satoshi rolled his eyes, but was clearly excited that Daisuke had made this suggestion. "Go ahead," he said as he sunk down in his chair a bit more. Daisuke lay his head down on Satoshi's lap and breathed in the entrancing aroma of his body wash. He let out a long yawn, and before he knew it, he was asleep. Satoshi looked down at the sleeping Daisuke and rested his hands on Daisuke's head. Then, he let out a long yawn and also fell asleep.


	2. Temple Fuuchin

Daisuke was the first to wake up. The first, he thought to himself. Now, he would be able to hold this against Satoshi for the rest of eternity. Daisuke lifted his head off from Satoshi's lap and looked into his crystal blue eyes. Oh man, he thought. His eyes are so beautiful!

Satoshi wiggled his nose and let out a yawn. He slowly opened one eye and made it connect with Daisuke's. "Good morning, Daisuke," he yawned as he stretched his arms. Satoshi stood up a bit and straightened out his pants a bit. Then, he sat back down and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"All right, students! We've arrived at the Temple Fuuchin! Please be careful as you exit the bus, and meet back here at 5pm sharp!" A teacher led the way off the bus, followed by about 40 other students. Because Daisuke and Satoshi were the first ones on the bus, they would be the last off. Daisuke took Satoshi's hand, blushed a bit, and they exited the bus together.

"Where do you want to go first, Satoshi?" Daisuke used the bus' exterior mirror to fix his hair where he had fallen asleep.

"There's a large directory sign over there. Let's see what there is to do." Satoshi and Daisuke walked over to the large sign with a labeled map of the entire temple. To the north, there were restrooms and a restaurant. To the west, there was a large area with swings and a playground for younger children. To the south there were some benches and tablets for the visitors to pray. "What do you say we head west? I'll push you on the swing." Satoshi made sensual eye contact with Daisuke. Daisuke blushed again, for as you know, red heads blush quite frequently.

They walked for a few minutes. Daisuke noticed that the place had a solemn air to it. There wasn't any laughter or sounds of children playing. It was a highly respected temple. It was a tourist attraction, without a doubt one of Kyoto's finest, but it was also a symbol of Japanese pride and a prayer ground for some of the most prestigious monks in the world. Soon, Daisuke spotted the swing set all by itself away form the rest of the temple grounds. There was only one swing, but it was vacant. Daisuke approached the swing and sat down. Satoshi made one last glance at Daisuke, and then got behind him. Satoshi placed his hands on Daisuke's sides, which made him jump at first. Satoshi pulled Daisuke closer to himself, and then let go. When the swing came back towards Satoshi, he pushed harder this time. The swing came back once more. Satoshi pushed again. They continued this for several repetitions.

After pushing a few times, Satoshi caught the swing as it was coming back…right in the mouth. He fell backwards, and his glasses fell to the ground. Daisuke alarmingly jumped off the swing and ran to where Satoshi was lying in agony. "Oh gosh, Satoshi! Are you okay?" Daisuke picked up Satoshi's glasses and fell to his knees where Satoshi was lying. He placed glasses on the boy's nose and stroked his hair between his fingers.

"Boy, you sure pack quite a wallop," Satoshi said, and little trickles of blood ran out of his mouth as he said this. Daisuke took out a handkerchief and wiped away the blood. "Satoshi, are you okay?" Daisuke started crying and lay his head on Satoshi's chest.

Satoshi wrapped his arms around Daisuke's neck. "Of course I'm okay," he said. "A little dizzy, but I'm all right." He sat up a bit, and Daisuke helped pull him a bit further up. Daisuke then stood to his feet and took Satoshi's arm and hoisted him up. He then took Satoshi's arm and wrapped it around his neck. The two hobbled around a bit until Satoshi got his balance back. Then, he could walk run, and probably do a cartwheel without Daisuke's assistance. "Maybe we should try something a bit less dangerous," Satoshi suggested.

"Good idea. How about we go to the restaurant and get some ice cream?"

"Ice cream sounds safe. That'd be good."

They agreed and walked north toward the restaurant. Along the way, they passed a grove of trees with the first spring blossoms coming out. Daisuke knew this tree well as he and Satoshi had climbed one very similar only a week before. At the top, Daisuke and Satoshi had pledged their love to each other and had been consistently dating ever since. Daisuke wondered if their love, like the buds on the tree would continue to grow. He did not have very long to ponder this, however because soon his daydreaming was interrupted with Satoshi's voice. "Daisuke, we're here!"

Daisuke snapped out of his imagination and looked around at the restaurant. It was outdoors and had about ten or fifteen umbrella tables. There were a few students but most were paying their bills or getting ready to leave. It was about 4:15pm, and lunch was basically over. They would have the entire restaurant to themselves to do whatever and not be teased or taunted.

Regardless of their solitude, Daisuke and Satoshi chose a table on the far side of porch and waited for their server. Daisuke picked up the dessert menu and flipped through the pages of sugary food before deciding on the root beer float. "I think I want the root beer float." He looked up at Satoshi. "What do you want?"

"I don't think I'll get anything," he replied.

"Why not?"

"I was hoping we could share one." Satoshi blushed when he said this; the first time Daisuke had seen him do so.

"That'd be great."

The server soon arrived. She was a tall, blonde blue-eyed teenage girl, with a model figure and perfect teeth. Neither of the boys seemed to care, and Daisuke gave her his order.

"And what for the silver-haired hottie?" She was obviously trying to flirt, unaware of his condition.

"That will be all, thank you."

"Come on! Don't be a spoil sport! A handsome, young man like you DESERVES to eat! Anything, you want on the house!"

"No, thank you. This sexy red-head and I will be sharing if it's all the same." The waitress' face went pale. Daisuke's went blood-red.

"Sure it will be ready shortly." The waitress clumsily took their menus and headed back towards her station, a bit less gleefully than when she entered.

"Satoshi, that was awesome!" Daisuke nudged Satoshi's foot with his own. Satoshi returned this movement. Daisuke tapped Satoshi's ankle again. Satoshi mimicked. Before too long, both boys were playing their game and giggling so loudly that they didn't hear the waitress the first time she told them that their float was ready.

"Gentlemen! YOU'RE FLOAT'S READY!" The waitress sat down the float and left, both angry and about ready to send in her two-week notice.

Satoshi pointed to the float. "There's only one straw."

"I was hoping for that." Daisuke took the first sip. Satoshi took the second. Daisuke went in for the third, but Satoshi jerked the glass away.

"If you want it…you have to get it from my lips." Satoshi leaned towards Daisuke. Daisuke placed his hand on Satoshi's face and leaned in as well. Their lips were just about to lock when…

"Will all students please report back to the bus immediately? All students please return to the bus!" The public address system ended their moment alone.

"We should be headed back." Daisuke took his wallet out and lay 50 yen on the table.

The boys stood up and walked back to the bus, both disappointed that their moment had been ruined, but both once again holding hands.

As they exited the restaurant, they both saw the restaurant marquee. It read "Now Hiring a Waitress. Position Just Opened!"


	3. I Love You

The two boys finally got to the bus and were one of the firsts on the bus yet again. They didn't get the very back seat, but they were still far enough to be out of eyesight and earshot of any teachers who usually sat in the front. Daisuke and Satoshi were still a little perplexed about their kiss being stolen by the hands of time, but neither of them said a word about it to the other as the remainder of the students boarded the bus and the teacher's called role.

The bus driver started the vehicle and soon they were returning to the hotel. Daisuke looked over at Satoshi who was in deep thought. About what, Daisuke didn't know, but he didn't want to disturb him. Daisuke shut his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but the excitement and fun of the day was too much to slumber through. He opened his eyes and tried to entertain himself by watching some of the other students. The majority of them were sleeping, and the ones who weren't were staring out the windows trying to fall asleep. He moved his eyes back to Satoshi who this time caught him making eye contact. The two shifted rather awkwardly, and Satoshi fidgeted with his hands a bit. Daisuke slid his hand ever so slowly towards Satoshi's. He inched further, just a tiny amount at a time, making sure not to be seen. His fingers were the first to touch the soft skin of Satoshi's pinky finger. Satoshi looked down at their touching hands, and then up at Daisuke. He moved his hand further into Daisuke's, and the two were holding hands. This was what both had wanted ever since the bus left the temple.

They rode for a few more minutes in silence. Daisuke looked past Satoshi, who this time had the window seat, to see that the sky had turned dark. It was not yet spring, but Daisuke had not expected it to be so dark. He looked down at Satoshi's watch. The time was 7:04pm. They would be back at the hotel shortly. Daisuke knew that the school wanted to choose the least expensive hotel as possible to avoid Kyoto tourism rates, but this was about ridiculous.

After what seemed like uncomfortable hours, the bus pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, and students began to file out. Daisuke stood up and didn't notice how tired his legs were. He stood on his tip toes, stretched his arms wide above his outstretched neck and let out a long, loud yawn. Satoshi followed Daisuke out of the bus, and the two entered through the lobby.

The lobby was a very industrial, cold place. It had some large armchairs, but they were all white. The coffee tables had some candy dishes set on them, but the dishes contained no candy. The entire place was as hotels should be. That is: Hey, you're only going to be here for one, two, three nights top. We enjoy making you feel comfortable, but we try save money where you're not going to notice, like in interior decorating. Daisuke certainly noticed. He knew there was nothing he could do to cheer the place up, so he followed Satoshi into the hallway. When the two approached the elevator, Satoshi pushed the "up" button. They stood without saying a word for a few seconds, and the elevator doors opened, allowing them inside.

They stood in the elevator while they waited for other students to get on. Both wanted to speak to the other about the day's events but knew it probably best to speak in private, away from students and staff. Satoshi hit the button marked "1". Thank goodness, they were at least on the first level and didn't have to stop at every single floor waiting for people to enter and exit the already tight and cramped elevator.

The doors slid open when the elevator reached their floor, and Daisuke was the first to fight his way through the crowd to exit. Satoshi soon emerged from the people as well, and they walked to their room #197, which was fortunately not located far from the elevator itself. Satoshi removed the card key from his pocket and pushed it into the slot on the side of the door.

Satoshi turned the knob and opened the door for the both of them. Daisuke entered after Satoshi and sat down on the bed. He motioned for Satoshi to sit next to him. Satoshi plopped down beside Daisuke and the two were making the same familiar but a little apprehensive eye contact they had made a million times before. Daisuke was the first to finally break the silence. "Wasn't today fun? The swings were nice. Even if you did get knocked over, I appreciate your pushing me. That root beer was really good, too even though I only got one sip. You know, Satoshi, I think you owe me a rain check."

"I would say that you are correct. I would love to pay you back. It was after all a great float. I'm afraid the taste is gone from my lips, though."

"Bummer," said Daisuke. "I guess I'll just have to except the next best thing."

Daisuke lay flat on his back.

Satoshi looked at Daisuke curiously. "What are you doing?" he said.

"You don't expect me to receive payment sitting up, do you? No, you're going to do things my way, and I want to be lying down when I do it."

"Silly, Daisuke. Fine, if you want to lie down, that's fine with me. But…uhm…how am I supposed to kiss you if you're lying flat?"

"You'll think of some way." Daisuke sat up just a bit and propped his head up with his forearm. "Come here." Daisuke took his other hand and wrapped it around the back of Satoshi's head.

Satoshi got on his stomach and used his arms and knees to crawl over to where Daisuke was. Daisuke continued to draw Satoshi's face closer to himself. Daisuke placed his lips firmly on Satoshi's. Satoshi returned the kiss with a tiny nibble. Then, he used his tongue to part Daisuke's lips. Next, he crawled a bit more until his torso was on top of Daisuke's. Then, Satoshi took Daisuke's left hand is his own left hand and his right hand in his right. The two's fingers were laced, and Daisuke used this opportunity to pull himself up a bit, so his lips were parallel with Satoshi's. Satoshi made the first move this time and planted his lips in the corner of Daisuke's mouth. Daisuke stuck out his tongue and licked Satoshi's lips. Satoshi moved his lips a little to the right and stuck his tongue between Daisuke's lips. Daisuke parted his lips even more and brought his own tongue into play. He licked the inside of Satoshi upper lip, and Satoshi unlocked his right hand and moved it through Daisuke's hair. Daisuke unlocked his left hand and placed it on Satoshi's back.

"Satoshi…" Daisuke half whispered-half moaned. "Maybe we should turn in."

"Why? Are you afraid of something?"

"I just get the feeling that we're doing something wrong. I've dreamed about this every night since last week on top of the tree, but now that I'm with you, I feel like we've evolved into so much more than making out."

"I agree. Maybe you should sleep in my bed tonight, and we just won't do anything. How does that sound?"

"Satoshi, thank you for understanding." Daisuke and Satoshi untangled themselves, and Satoshi rose to his feet. Daisuke rolled over to his side of the bed and got under the covers. Satoshi reentered the bed on his side and did the same. "I love you," he whispered to Daisuke."

"I love you, too." Daisuke fell into deep sleep with Satoshi yet again in his dreams. Satoshi watched the red head sleep for a while, and then fell into dreams of his own.


	4. Dinner With Friends

The next morning came very soon. Satoshi, as usual was the first to awaken. He got up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and went into the bathroom to get ready. When he returned from the bathroom, Daisuke was already up and watching Tokyo Disney Channel. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed and staring at the television, eyes black and puffy from lack of sleep. He turned very slowly, out of pure exhaustion, and managed to breathe "Good morning, Satoshi." He then fell backwards, and his head hit the pillow, sending him back to sleep.

"Oh no, you're not, Daisuke!" Satoshi went over to Daisuke and continued to prod him in the side with his finger once more. "We're not doing this again this morning! We're going to a mall today, so we're leaving in fifteen minutes to beat the rush!"

Daisuke, suddenly remembering how long it took for him to get ready in the morning, leaped from his bed and practically crashed through the bathroom door. He jumped into the bathroom, so fast in fact, that he forgot to get his clothes. He walked embarrassedly out of the bathroom, but Satoshi was already a step ahead of him. "Honestly, Daisuke, you're the biggest birdbrain I've ever seen," Satoshi said as he handed Daisuke his clothes.

"Shut up, Satoshi," Daisuke teased and went back into the bathroom, a little more gracefully this time, considering he was more awake. Once inside the bathroom, Daisuke did his morning rituals. He opened the drawer and took out his hair gel. He applied this to his scalp and sculpted it in it's messed up but very common shape. He then splashed cold water on his face and changed his clothes. He skipped several steps because he knew he did not have time to complete them. After fifteen minutes, Daisuke exited the bathroom, ready and prepared to leave.

"See, you can get ready on time, when you set your mind to it." Satoshi handed Daisuke his light blue sweater. "It's very cold outside. You'll probably need this." Satoshi pulled on his own orange and black striped sweater, and the two turned off the lights and left the room. Daisuke and Satoshi entered the elevator at the end of the long hallway, and Satoshi pressed "g" for garage. To both boys' relief, several classmates entered the elevator as they got off, signaling that the group had not left yet. Daisuke smelled breakfast almost as soon as h entered the lobby. The hotel was shabby and very industrial, but at least they had continental breakfast. The school would probably get sued if the children did not have breakfast. Daisuke and Satoshi approached the bar and served themselves each a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice.

After selecting their breakfast items, the two found a vacant table and sat down to eat. Daisuke was just about to consume his first bite of cereal when he felt a poke on his back. He turned around to see the Harada twins, each carrying their breakfasts, as identical as their faces. Each girl had a glass of milk and a banana. "Mind if we join you? All the other tables are full," Riku said politely.

"Of course we don't mind." Daisuke gestured for them to have a seat. Daisuke and Satoshi were sitting next to each other, so Riku took the seat opposite Daisuke, and Risa took the seat opposite Satoshi.

At the very least, the meal was awkward. Riku was Daisuke's ex-girlfriend, and Daisuke's inner-self had a crush on her. Risa had a crush on Daisuke's inner self, but Daisuke's inner self was in love with Satoshi's inner self who returned those feelings. Satoshi and Daisuke were soul mates but neither Riku nor Risa knew that they were gay.

Daisuke was very nervous throughout the meal. Krad, for once, kept his mouth shut. Dark had still not yet awakened. Satoshi, like Daisuke was apprehensive and did not want the secret spilled. Risa could sense the tension between them, and she knew the Tarot cards well enough to know that a secret was being hidden. Riku was completely oblivious to what was going on around her, and munched on her banana unaware of the thoughts and feelings of those that surrounded her.

Daisuke dropped his spoon; Risa spilled her milk and had to get a replacement. Dark finally woke up and took a moment to realize what was happening. Krad rolled his eyes at Dark's laziness. Satoshi leaned to far backwards in his seat and fell out. Riku continued to munch on her banana.

Risa and Riku finished at the exact same time, despite Risa's mishap with the milk. They both got up at the same time. "Well, it was nice having breakfast with you two," Risa said.

"Yes, very nice. We should do it again sometime." Riku said this, and Risa jabbed her in the side with her elbow. Both girls bowed and left Daisuke and Satoshi confused and rather annoyed. They had both finished their breakfasts as well. "Do we leave the bowls, or do we take them up ourselves?" Daisuke asked.

"I think we leave them." Satoshi stood up. "Are you ready to leave? A bunch of the students are beginning to gather in the parking lot."

"Yes. I'm finished. That sure was strange, with Risa and Riku."

"Yes. Very strange, indeed. I hope they don't pick up on our secret."

"What would be so bad about that?"

"Not bad really. I just don't want everyone in school thinking I'm queer.

"Satoshi, you kind of ARE queer." Daisuke giggled.

"Does that mean that you're my boyfriend?"

"It sure does."

"Then I guess I don't mind so much." Satoshi smiled and both boys smiled the entire walk to the parking lot.


	5. Kyoto Promenade

Daisuke, now feeling very good about himself, walked with Satoshi out to the parking lot where they waited for the bus that would take them to the Kyoto Promenade, "The Largest Mall Within a 6-mile radius!" which is pretty good if you've ever seen the malls in Japan. Daisuke shivered a bit against the freezing winter cold. What moron on the school board decided that the students would wait for a bus in sub zero temperatures? Well, maybe it wasn't subzero, but Daisuke couldn't feel his nose or his fingers, and he looked over at Satoshi whose nose was blood red and rolled his eyes thinking about how much money the school director probably made and decided to feel sorry for the poor pauper instead.

Without too much of a delay, the bus rounded the corner and pulled into the parking lot. Since Satoshi and Daisuke were among the last students to finish breakfast, they were the last ones on. Unfortunately, this meant that they couldn't sit next to each other. Daisuke took a seat next to a teacher in the front, and Satoshi sat next to a girl who was attending Azumano Middle as a foreign exchange student from Morocco near the back of the bus (please, people, don't be cruel. I meant nothing in particular by placing the African girl at the back. Mere coincidence, try to show some maturity.)

Luckily, considering the hundreds of malls in Japan, the Kyoto Promenade was only about a 4 or 5-minute drive away. In fact, daisuke had already been several times on trips with Daiki and Emiko, so he knew the mall well. It had three-stories, lime green tile throughout, skylights, two food courts, two department stores, a movie theater, some restaurants, about a hundred or so stores, and a video arcade. It was a pretty normal shopping arcade, and Daisuke was just looking forward to the alone time he would spend with Satoshi there.

Daisuke did not have to wait long, however, for after sitting for only a few minutes, he heard a teacher call over the public address system: "All right students! This is where we get off! Please, stay in groups of at least four or more, and we'll meet back here at 11:00am sharp!" The teacher practically ran off the bus, probably excited about getting some alone time in a large shopping center, away from her educating duties.

Daisuke, now a little disappointed that the groups HAD to have four people or more, turned to the Moroccan girl and asked her if she would join them. She accepted, and Daisuke asked her for her name. "It's K-a-I-t-e, pronounced the way you would pronounce 'Keti'." The girl, for an exchange student anyway, spoke Japanese very well. Daisuke was impressed. "Nice to meet you, Kaite. A boy named Satoshi will be in our group…now, about that fourth member…"

"Good news, Daisuke!" Satoshi had appeared. "Since there are an odd number of students, one group will have only three members. The teacher said that the group with only three is ours! Now, we just need to find a third member…"

"Already found her, Satoshi! This is K-a-I-t-e, pronounced the way we say 'Keti'."

Satoshi extended his hand for Kaite to shake. She took it firmly in hers and shook. This, of course is not a usual Japanese salutation, but neither Kaite nor Satoshi were native Japanese and had been taught that a handshake is also a fine proper first greeting.

Kaite was a fairly pretty girl, not radiantly beautiful, nor grotesquely ugly. She was about Daisuke's height, slim, dark-eyed, had long black hair and was wearing a pink sweater and blue jeans. On her feet, she was wearing a pair of green New Balances. In fact, for a foreigner, she dressed very natively.

"Well, if you're ready," Satoshi began. "I've heard this mall has an AWESOME shrimp restaurant called the Shrimp Palace I thought we could try. It's on the second floor, and I figured we could beat the lunch rush if we headed there now…" Satoshi looked at the two for approval, and Daisuke nodded his head. Kaite also agreed. With this settled, the trio entered the mall through a set of large brass double-doors. They entered into a large, palatial food court with over a dozen specialty restaurants like Ken and Terry's Ice Cream, Great Japanese Cookie Company, Pizza Shack, Uncle Dan's Pretzel Company, and Burger Prince. There was even a Taco Gong and a Cindy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers! The food court was remarkably well lit, and Daisuke could see the Shrimp Palace across the court on the other side. "There it is!" he exclaimed and pointed. Satoshi and Daisuke, followed closely by a nervous Kaite, this being her first time in a mall and probably her first time with total strangers in an open environment, strolled across the court and came to the shrimp restaurant.

The Shrimp Palace was hardly a palace at all, but rather a brick building that had been painted with gold paint. The menu was sloppily scribbled on a black board hanging on the front door. There were some plants in front of the restaurant to try to add some décor to this shabby eatery. Daisuke couldn't figure out if this mall was REALLY a hundred years old or if the diner TRIED to look run down.

There was no host on duty, and the sign read "Please Do Not Seat Self", leaving the three with no way to eat at the restaurant. Daisuke looked around to see if he could find anybody wearing a Shrimp Palace uniform but there was none to be found. In fact, Daisuke could not see ANY employees or customers other than the students. The mall was clearly in its last days…then he saw the sign that read "Kyoto Promenade (1971-2005). Recently closed. Open for school groups studying ancient history. Please do not litter."

Daisuke, Satoshi, and Kaite must have read this sign at the same instant because all three simultaneously began to laugh uncontrollably. How ironic, they finally got to go to something somewhat interested and it was a run down shamble of the remains of a successful mall. Daisuke couldn't believe it. Satoshi smirked. Kaite was in total disbelief. She expected to experience some Japanese culture, and so far what had she gotten? A backseat on a crowded school bus to a run down mall in the middle of nowhere.

Daisuke had thought that 11:00am was quite an early time to leave the mall, but suddenly he could not wait to leave.

Sure enough, he was soon saved when his watch beeped signaling that it was time to leave the mall. Good thing, too, he thought. They had only been in the mall for about twenty minutes. What kind of idiot was running the school system, he now really wanted to know. He then reminded himself that the director probably makes next to nothing so he decided to feel sorry for him instead of hating him.

Since they had not gone very far into the mall, they were the first ones on the bus. Daisuke and Satoshi got their favorite seat in the back, and Kaite chose a seat by herself in the middle. After a minute or two, the entire bus was filled to the rim with children and staff. Role was called, and the bus was ready to take off. Daisuke could not believe it. Part of him wanted to laugh. Part of him wanted to kill the school superintendent. Part of both parts knew he would make more money than the director, so it didn't care.


	6. Crime and Conviction

The rest of the afternoon was going to be a free day at the hotel. There was a spa room and pool, so most of the students didn't mind so much. They would be heading home the next day. Satoshi looked over at a pissed off and disappointed Daisuke and slid his hand over onto Daisuke's knee. Daisuke, reminding himself that Satoshi's hands had been in far more sexual places within the past 24 hours, placed his hand on top of the hand Satoshi had firmly rested on his knee. Daisuke let out a really long yawn and placed his head on Satoshi's shoulder. Satoshi leaned his head forward just enough to whisper those words Daisuke had been longing to hear for months: "I love you."

Daisuke nestled his head deeper into Satoshi's neck and closed his eyes. He took his hand off of Satoshi's and slid it down the silver-haired boy's back. His hand stopped about halfway down the back of his torso and pulled in for a tight hug. Satoshi leaned over a tad more and kissed Daisuke on the forehead. Daisuke took his right foot and tapped the back of Satoshi's left foot. Satoshi giggled, the vibration sending chills down Daisuke's spine, and said, "Don't play footsies with me, or you'll have to be punished."

Daisuke pulled his head away from Satoshi's shoulder allowing him to look up in the silvery blue eyes. "Oh, really," he said. "How do you plan to do that?"

"Don't question me," Satoshi crooned. "You'll see. We're almost at the hotel.

Satoshi was right of course. The two sat in silence, Daisuke still pondering about what kind of "punishment" he would receive, for just a minute more as the bus pulled into the parking lot. Daisuke, who had been sitting in the aisle seat, was the first to stand up. Satoshi stood up after and tapped the back of Daisuke's foot. "There you go. That's your punishment."

Daisuke turned around, looking confused. "That's not all, is it?" The young boy had been hoping for more. He was fourteen years old. He knew what "punishment" meant.

"You weren't expecting me to…" Satoshi started, but Daisuke interrupted.

"I've been very bad, Satoshi. I think I need to be properly and forcibly _punished._"

The two were the last to get off the bus. A bunch of kids were heading to their rooms to change into their swimwear. Daisuke and Satoshi were also headed to their room, but they were not going for swimwear.

Daisuke, very excited, pushed the card key into the door and swung it open; revealing a nice, spotless room the maid had obviously attended to after last night's "activities". He plopped down on the bed and waited for Satoshi to join him. Satoshi, however, took a chair by the window and picked up the remote. He clicked on the television and turned it to channel 173. Daisuke was confused. "Satoshi? Are we forgetting something? I need to be punished, remember?"

Satoshi glanced over at Daisuke with a daring gleam on his face. "I'm surprised you asked. You have been very naughty and your punishment will be equally severe."

"I'm ready, Satoshi."

Satoshi stepped over to Daisuke and stood in front of him. "Very well," he began. "You, Daisuke Niwa, are about to receive punishment for the following crime: playing footsises with Satoshi Hiwatari. Do you confess?"

"Absolutely." Daisuke smiled and blushed at the same time.

"That's what I was hoping to hear." Satoshi approached Daisuke a bit more. They locked their eyes, criminal and prosecutor. Like in court, Daisuke was guilty of a crime. Unlike court, the two were about to have more fun than they had ever had in their entire lives.


End file.
